How to Raise Saltwater Fish

Saltwater fish tanks can captivate even in the age of fish screen-savers and always-on Internet connections. Marine fish are very beautiful and have personalities not found in freshwater fish. Saltwater tanks can also be a lesson in chemistry, biology and discipline. Take your time setting up the tank, and do it right. Your fish friends will thank you.

Things You'll Need

  • Saltwater aquarium
  • Quarantine tank
  • Hydrometer
  • Test kits
  • Sea salt
  • Buffer
  • Filtered water
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Find a pet store which specializes in saltwater fish. You can gauge the store by the health of the fish. You will want a knowledgeable staff that doesn't mind answering questions.

    • 2

      Set up your aquarium in a cool, dark, quiet environment. Bright lights and distractions can take away from the ambiance of a saltwater fish tank. Keep the sand bed, consisting of aragonite, around six inches deep for optimum denitrification. For a fish-only tank, the specific gravity should stay around 1.023 and the temperature 75 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 3

      Cycle the tank using mollies as a cheap alternative to expensive saltwater fish and live rock. When ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are stable, you can begin adding fish.

    • 4

      Add the fish to a quarantine tank first. Fish can harbor diseases, but display few signs of the disease at the pet store. The quarantine tank can also help the fish to get acclimated before meeting the other inhabitants of the tank. Ideally the bag should float in the tank's water for about a half an hour, while slowly letting water in from the new tank. This helps the fish adjust to the salinity.

    • 5

      Watch the fish closely for a few days, and treat the fish if signs of infection show up. Otherwise, add the fish to the main tank. Watch for signs of aggression from the other inhabitants. Sometimes fish can be very territorial at first.

    • 6

      Check the nitrate levels every day after adding the new fish, and watch for spikes. If the nitrates stay up, do repeated water changes up to 30 percent of the tank's volume.

    • 7

      Feed the herbivorous fish vegetable matter such as romaine lettuce or caulerpa algae. The predatory fish will enjoy anything from squid to other fish, frozen or fresh, depending on the species.

    • 8

      Change the water at least once a week---10 percent every week and a nice 25 percent once a month will keep the chemicals fresh and the fish happy. Try to use filtered water when doing water changes. The phosphates and copper sometimes found in city water can be very damaging to fish, not to mention the high amounts of chlorine.